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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28467831">Commonalities</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/necromancy_enthusiast/pseuds/necromancy_enthusiast'>necromancy_enthusiast</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Enemies to Lovers, Nonbinary Character, Other, Trans Claude von Riegan, Trans Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, well really it's more like rivals to lovers but that wasn't an established tag sooo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:46:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,943</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28467831</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/necromancy_enthusiast/pseuds/necromancy_enthusiast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After riling Lorenz up enough for the two to go horse riding together, Claude lets on that he may know something about Lorenz that Lorenz himself isn't even aware of.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Commonalities</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for @Olivier_ebooks on Twitter as part of the Fire Emblem Trans Winter Exchange. I haven't written for this ship before, so it was nice trying something new.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey, Lorenz,” Claude began. “How about we take a couple of horses out of the monastery and have some fun?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz looked back over his shoulder at Claude, who was walking towards him with a bucket of water, with an expression of confused disdain on his face. Byleth has assigned them to tend to some of the monastery’s horses for the week (despite Lorenz’s objections), which they were doing now. Specifically, Claude was bringing fresh water to the mount that Lorenz was currently grooming. As much as Lorenz loved horse riding, something he did not enjoy was the scent of stale hay and horse manure. Normally it wouldn’t bother him much, but now it was only exacerbating his annoyance over the whole affair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pardon, but did you forget that we have work to do, Claude? Don’t tell me you’re suggesting that we shirk our responsibilities for the sake of what I can only assume must be a whimsical peregrination.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t put words in my mouth, I meant we take out the horses </span>
  <em>
    <span>after</span>
  </em>
  <span> we finish our work. It’s not like the horses’ll take care of themselves. Besides, I don’t wanna disappoint Teach.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see. In that case, count me out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Awww come on, have some fun for once.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Have some fun? </span>
  </em>
  <span>We’re not children, Claude.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, but everyone has to have fun sometimes. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and all that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve other responsibilities to tend to, Claude. Find someone else to go with if you so long for company.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohhh, I get it.” Claude said. He put down the bucket of water and walked over to Lorenz, looking up to him with that smile of his, the one that suggested he knew something you didn’t and he wasn’t particularly disposed to share. “You’re always talking about how into </span>
  <em>
    <span>equestrianism,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he said with a particular lilt to his voice. “You are. So you’re afraid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Afraid of what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of making a fool of yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz stopped in the middle of brushing the horse’s mane to turn and look directly at Claude. “Excuse me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t use horses as much in battle ever since Teach suggested you focus more on magic, so you’ve gotten rusty and you don’t want anyone to know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s no way you actually believe that,” Lorenz spat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t see why I shouldn’t... Unless you wanna prove me wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz sighed, knowing that Claude was goading him on but being unable to walk away from it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very well, Claude. I’ll show you how sorely wrong you are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great! That’s just what I wanted to hear.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they’d finished their assignment, they chose their horses and, having no other responsibilities nor classes for the day, easily made it out of the monastery. Claude was as calm and nonchalant as always, but Lorenz’s scowl and stiff posture told  a difference. It wasn’t long until they were in a clearing outside of the nearby forest that their class often used for equestrian practice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So? Show me what you got,” Claude said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz smiled haughtily. “As you wish.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without that, he kicked the horse’s sides whipped the bridle, and gave her a loud verbal command, causing her to canter towards the forest. He easily followed her center of gravity, leading her to weave through the trees while still within view of the clearing before turning back towards Claude and coming to an easy stop in front of him. Lorenz smiled again. “Will that suffice?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, I guess you’re pretty good,” Claude said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s good to see you embracing reality.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm,” Claude intoned noncommittally. “Hey, you wanna see something?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Claude dismounted his horse and turned towards it. “You know, saddles are fine and all, but they kinda throw me off sometimes,” he said as he began to unbuckle the horse’s saddle. “I can ride in them fine, but I’m not as used to that as I am to bareback riding.” He pulled the saddle off of the horse and placed it at the base of a nearby tree and came back to take the bridle out of the horse’s mouth, discarding it in a similar manner before getting back on the horse with ease. “Now</span>
  <em>
    <span> that’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> better.” He pet the horse’s head. “Bet you feel a lot better too, huh girl?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Claude, exactly what are you getting at?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t it obvious?” he said. “Alright girl, let’s get going.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Claude rode the same path out of the clearing and into the trees as Lorenz did, weaving around the trees with ease. When he was about halfway through the clearing on his trek back to Lorenz, he slowed the horse to a trot before stopping beside Lorenz, their horses facing opposite directions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, whaddya think?” Claude asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I... Certainly wasn’t expecting that,” Lorenz admitted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wanna give it a try?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh please, I’m not an utter fool, Claude. I realize riding a horse bareback and riding it with a saddle are two different beasts entirely. I’ve no experience in riding bareback, if I were to attempt it I’d simply make a fool of myself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well well well,” Claude said. “That’s impressive.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz quirked an eyebrow. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was half expecting you to take it on anyway, it would’ve been fun to watch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz huffed. “Apparently you know nothing about me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I said </span>
  <em>
    <span>half </span>
  </em>
  <span>expecting. The other half meant you wouldn’t take it up and would admit you’re not perfect at everything.” He got back down from the horse and headed towards where he’d deposited the saddle and bridle by before picking them up. “Alright girl, we gotta suit you back up, I don’t want to carry this back to the monastery, so you’re getting saddled with it.” He snorted quietly in amusement and Lorenz rolled his eyes. Once he finished, he got back up on the horse. “At the beginning of the year you would’ve just gone for it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I…” Lorenz began. There was a short pause before he finally sighed. “Perhaps you’re right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can ride backwards too, you know! My parents made me do that as a kid.”.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why ever in the world would they do that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s useful, my dad and his family all really value being good at riding. You know, horses, pegasuses, wyverns, all that. It’s just what they do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz rolled his eyes, but there was a slight upturn of the corners off his mouth. “You’re more than meets the eye, I suppose.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, same to you, it seems. I never would’ve thought you’d really change like this,” Claude said. “You know, I think you and I have more in common than you’d think.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean about equestrianism?” Lorenz asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I meant more along the lines of being more than you seem at first glance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz quirked an eyebrow. “What on earth are you referencing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you know. Just things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I in fact do not know, that’s why I’m inquiring about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Claude turned to sit side saddle and crossed his legs on the horse, resting one arm on his thigh and framing his chin with his hand thoughtfully. “Some of it may just be a shot in the dark, but I have a feeling there’s more to it than that. Something maybe even you don’t have a single clue about yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Claude, I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn’t speak so cryptically. It begets suspicion.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Claude shrugged. “You’ll be suspicious of me regardless, might as well have some fun with it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz stared into her teacup contemplatively for a long moment. Almyran tea was so different from Fodlandian tea, but it was enjoyable as well. She would have to ask about Almyran tea traditions at some point. Then she looked down at the skirt of her long, elegant purple dress, ruffling it slightly in an attempt to shake some sort of dust from it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lorenz?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz looked up from her tea at Khalid, who was sitting across from her. “Hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You sure have been quiet. It’s unsettling, given how chatty you usually are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Chatty’?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, my bad. You’re such an enthusiastic conversationalist that I can’t bear to be deprived of the honor of hearing you elocute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz huffed bemusedly. “I see that sardonicism is still intact.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Course it is, becoming the King of Almyra won’t change that. Just like becoming the leader of the Leicester Alliance hasn’t made you any less long-winded.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m afraid not.” She looked back over the ramparts to Leicester, Fodlan’s Throat now acting more as a formality than anything. A road that was becoming well-trodden spanned on either side of the fort, people passing through with their friends, families, and colleagues. Vendors had set up shop on the side of that road, and it seemed as though they’d made a wise choice in terms of location.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, what’s bothering you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say I’m bothered so much as contemplative.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Contemplative about what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The past.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.” She smiled ever so slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Khalid rested his elbows on the table, Lorenz having long since learned that reprimanding him for what she considered a breach in common politeness wasn’t going to do anyone any good. “Is this you getting back at me for all those times I was vague and cryptid back when we were students?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Khalid chuckled. “Figures.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In all seriousness, now that you bring up our academy days, there’s something I was wondering about. Do you remember when we went riding together that time our professor assigned us to tend to the horses?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm,” Claude glanced up as he scratched his chin. “I think so? What about it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You said you think we might have more in common than we thought, and that you had an idea as to what it was.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohhhh right, yeah. I remember that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You also said you weren’t certain about it, and it might’ve been something I wasn’t aware of at the time. Tell me, did that have something to do with the subject of gender?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Khalid gave her the same smile he had all those years ago. “What do you think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve long known of your aptitude for prescience and analysis, but even so, I am still unsure of how you could have ever known that I was both a man and a woman before I had so much as an inkling.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Khalid shrugged. “I don’t know, it was just a feeling. I’ve had that feeling before and it turned out I was right at least once, so I figured there was a good chance I would be right with you.” His smile dropped from his face as he took on a more serious countenance. “But thing is Lorenz, it was just a feeling, and like I said, I wasn’t sure of it. I had no idea what the details were either. I just had a feeling you and me were alike. I mean, not exactly since I’m just a man and you’re a man as well as a woman... But anyway, it’s not like I could just say it outright.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I figured it’d be best for you to figure it out on your own. And I didn’t exactly have the best track record with divulging that little detail about myself, you know.” Khalid rested his hands on the table and looked away, his smile long gone. “I didn’t want to risk letting anyone else know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz rested a hand on one of Khalid’s, and Khalid looked back at her. “I’m so sorry, Khalid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Khalid looked back at her and smiled again. “Eh, it’s in the past. And I’m not alone anymore, so it’s alright.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenz smiled in turn. “You certainly aren’t, dear.”</span>
</p>
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